


Life with an Old Cop and a Sarcastic Agent

by OptimalShip



Category: Heavy Rain
Genre: 30 day challenge, Established Relationship, Fluffy, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-01-21 20:44:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1563437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OptimalShip/pseuds/OptimalShip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A 30 Day OTP Challenge I am doing for Blake and Jayden</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1-Hand Holding

The first time Jayden and Blake had ever held hands, it had been uncomfortable and awkward.

Though they had slight arguments over who exactly had been the one to reach out, Jayden knew it had been Blake. They had been walking away from the office (after they’d started dating, Jayden had been working in Philadelphia a lot more. He was currently considering moving) and suddenly something warm and rough was engulfing Jayden’s hand. He had looked down with shock to see that Blake had taken off his glove and had reached for the agent’s hand (Blake would argue that maybe he grabbed Jayden’s hand, but that was only because the kid was looking down at their brushing hands looking like a sad puppy).

Hand holding was not the perfect things that happened in books or movies. It didn’t feel instantly perfect and comforting. To the two men, it was at first a fight against themselves as they tried to position their hands in a comfortable way. Jayden had been fidgeting, trying to place his hand in a different way. Blake sometimes squeezed in probably what he thought was a nice way, but actually almost broke the bones in Jayden’s hand. They hadn’t been able to let their hands just hold each other; by the time they’d gotten to Blake’s car, he’d let go of Jayden’s hand with an annoyed sigh and went around to get in the driver’s side.

After that, they tried it more often to get used to the feeling, these men who had so rarely actually held hands with anyone during their lives. It would be quick and short at first; they’d be investigating a crime scene, and Jayden would just grab his partner’s hand for a short second, then walk away to go check out some other evidence. They’d be driving somewhere and Blake would reach out to hold Jayden’s hand at a red light, resting them between the two of them. Quick grabs, squeezes, and then they’d let go.

Eventually, they held on for longer as they got comfortable with the feeling. Blake rarely wore his gloves just in case Jayden felt the need to grab for his hand. They started interlocking their fingers, and Jayden would squeeze softly with a small smile on his face. Blake tried to hide it, but Jayden could see the corners of his lips turning up, too.

While the atmosphere around Philadelphia tended to be cold-it rained quite a bit-, Jayden never really felt cold while holding Blake’s hand. It didn’t matter if it was pouring buckets and the minute Jayden stepped out of the car his whole outfit was soaked. Just the reassuring and warm feeling of Blake’s hand was enough to make the rain go completely away.

Blake must’ve been looking in to different things to do when holding hands, because one day the old cop started being really tender with Jayden. He’d pull his hand up and press a soft kiss to it, or he’d trace lines on Jayden’s palm. It didn’t matter if either of their hands were sweaty or if they were supposed to be going over to look at some sort of evidence; Blake would just randomly do something sweet, and Jayden would have a red face for the rest of the time they held hands (he was starting to get convinced that Blake did it just to embarrass him; he always had a smirk on his face after he dropped Jayden’s hand from his lips).

For Blake, holding Jayden’s hand felt like coming home. It had been such a long time since he’d found someone he wanted to keep for longer than a night, and, when he found Jayden’s hand in his, it was like the warmth he got from stepping into his house. There was a feeling of security that hung around him, and he wondered if Jayden always noticed the slight smile on his face. There was something like a rush that went through him, from the tips of his fingertips to the bottom of his toes. Blake never wanted to let go, but they sometimes had work to do, or be apart, and Blake would have to wait for his home to come back.

Blake and Jayden held hands because they were each other’s version of happiness. All the screaming and fighting was in the past, and all that mattered was that they could be touching in some way. It happened so often, that they shouldn’t have been so aware of each other, but every time their hands were merely brushing they would be very aware of each other. But then, if their hands were brushing, it didn’t take very long for either of them to reach out and grab the other’s hand.

Now, they just had to work on other things that couples tended to do. They were both still terrible at hugging, but, hopefully like holding hands, they’d find a place where they’d fit and keep doing it until they couldn’t remember why they hadn’t done it before.


	2. Day Two-Cuddling Somewhere

Jayden had taken to staying at Blake’s house whenever he came to work in Philadelphia (which was pretty often), and had found out that Carter Blake was a cuddler.

A while after he had started staying there, all they had done was sleep close to each other, Jayden curled up on his side and Blake spread out on his back. His hands would grab at the bed, mumbling in his sleep, and a lot of the time Jayden would just sort of watch him (Blake kept him up, what else was he supposed to do? And it wasn’t considered creepy if you were watching someone you loved, right?), see the way his eyes moved beneath his eyelids, the way his lips formed the words he was saying in his dreams. Eventually the sight of such a peaceful asleep Blake, so different from hard and serious awake Blake, would lull him to sleep.

One day, he had fallen asleep close to Blake, and had woken up in the middle of the night encased in the older man’s arms. Jayden’s arms had been folded awkwardly into his chest, his head tucked under Blake’s chin. It wasn’t as if Jayden wasn’t used to sleeping curled up and small, and not moving, but it felt entirely different to be held someone. His heart had squeezed almost painfully in his chest, and he’d snuggled closer into the cop’s chest. It had probably been one of the best nights sleep he’d ever had.

After waking up like that, they didn’t even wait for sleep to come to cuddle in bed anymore.

“You coming to bed?” Blake asked, leaning over the couch and turning his head to look at Jayden.

Jayden, who barely looked up from his laptop screen, simply nodded and turned his head a bit, pressing his cheek to Blake’s jaw.

Blake huffed out a sigh, put his hand on Jayden’s shoulder and gave a soft squeeze, then stood up and walked down the hall.

Blake’s apartment was a fairly decent size, Jayden thought as he listened to his footsteps going down the hall. A kitchen with a medium sized table, connected to a rather large living room, with one bedroom and one bathroom. It was bigger than Jayden’s apartment back in Washington.

Jayden quickly finished up what he was writing; a conclusion of the case him and Blake had just finished (Blake usually left the written report up to Jayden, since he argued that he was better at doing physical work, not writing summaries and ‘other shit like that’). He closed the laptop and stood up, then padded down the hall to Blake’s bedroom.

The light was already off, and he could dimly see the spread out figure of the Lieutenant on his back. Jayden unbuttoned his shirt and slipped off his pants, then bent down and felt around the ground for his pajama bottoms. When he had located and pulled them on, he went over and sat down on Blake’s bed.

He stretched a bit, and then suddenly arms were winding themselves around his waist and pulling him back on the bed. He rolled himself over onto his side, reaching out until his fingertips felt the familiar surface of Blake’s skin. It was rough and scruffy with hair, but Jayden pulled himself until they were pressed together, his head in the space between Blake’s neck and shoulder. Blake’s hands were pressed against his back; Jayden could feel his breath brushing across his hair.

“You finished the paperwork?” Blake mumbled, and Jayden could feel his jaw move as he spoke.

He nodded. “No thanks to you.”

Blake’s chest rumbled as he laughed a bit. “It’s only fair, since I did most of the work on this case.”

“You did not. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have even checked out that abandoned house.”

“I was getting to it.” Blake’s fingers traced soft circles around Jayden’s back, and it felt so nice that Jayden tried to cuddle closer, resulting in another slight laugh from Blake.

“Yeah, sure you were. You’re not very good at exploring other opportunities you know.”

Though he couldn’t see him, Jayden knew that Blake had just rolled his eyes. “Shut up and go to sleep, Norman.”

Jayden sighed but closed his eyes. He brushed his fingers lightly through the hair at the back of Blake’s neck, nuzzling his face into the cop’s neck. Blake pressed his hands flat against his back, tangling their feet together until no part of each other was left untouched.

Dimly, Jayden heard Blake mumbled something that could’ve been anything between “I love you” and “Remember the paper tomorrow,” but all Jayden did was give a nod and a slight kiss against his boyfriend’s neck, then close his eyes and drift away peacefully in Blake’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, these are all super short, I'm sorry!  
> Also sorry about this because I'm not good at writing cuddles :P


	3. Day Three-Gaming or watching a movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this one’s okay, because it’s my personal headcanon that Jayden is a secret nerd.

Jayden prided himself on how well he could play video games. He loved electronics of any sort (Blake sometimes whined about how Jayden spent more time on his laptop than with his own boyfriend) and loved to be the best at them. It was a big reason why he had signed up to use ARI in the first place-not that he used it anymore. Yes, it had helped tremendously with cases, but his addiction had grown to an unhealthy amount. He had sworn off the device, and instead spent his free time using different electronics. One of his personal favorite things to use was his Wii. He loved his Playstation too, but his Wii had Mario Kart on it, which was definitely his favorite game.

Blake, on the other hand, was not good at video games. He didn’t like the games Jayden had (he despised Beyond: Two Souls because there was “way too much fucking button pressing,” he almost threw the controller when Jayden had gotten him to play Sims because his characters had accidentally set themselves on fire) and he couldn’t put up with them. Whenever he made the trip to Washington to visit Jayden instead of vise versa, he always walked into the apartment saying, “Hey, I’m not playing fucking video games with you.”

Out of all the arguments they could have, they fought over Jayden’s games. Jayden would demand Blake play at least one race on Mario Kart with him, while Blake would snap back that he’d rather be back home working. Blake tended to lose the arguments though; Jayden would fake his feelings getting hurt, and the old cop would bitterly grumble that he’d only play one race, but it’d be a balloon fight and they’d have to be on opposite teams so he could kick Jayden’s ass (which he’d never done; Jayden won every time).

Today, though, Blake was not going to give in.

He had come over to Jayden’s apartment for the weekend, since Jayden had work to do in Washington instead of Philadelphia this time.

Blake was sitting on the couch, sighing loudly to try to show how bored he was. Jayden was lying down with his head in the older man’s lap, a Wii remote controller held tightly in his hands. Blake’s fingers were absentmindedly combing through his hair, and he was biting his lip hard in concentration.

“Why are you playing all the same courses again?” Blake demanded, huffing out an annoyed sigh.

“Last time I was playing online. This time I’m trying to unlock Rosalina.”

“What the fuck is a Rosalina?”

“She’s the adopted mother of the Lumas, commands the Comet Observatory, and is a princess.” Jayden said matter-of-factly, as if Blake should’ve known this.

Blake rolled his eyes. “You’re such a stupid nerd.”

Jayden grinned a bit. “I have a vast knowledge of Mario.”

“That’s very useless, you know that right?”

Jayden nodded. “Useless facts are fun to know. I could tell you a lot of useless Mario facts.”

Blake groaned. “Please don’t.”

Jayden chuckled, but turned his attention back to his game. His eyes were wide and glued to the screen, and Blake wondered if he’d ever get over thinking that Jayden was adorable. Stupid kid.  
After a while of sitting in silence (apart from Jayden’s quiet “Yes!” whenever he won, or the noises of shells hitting their targets), Jayden paused and looked up. “This would be a lot more fun if you were playing, too.”

Blake shook his head. “Not a fucking chance.”

“You’re just afraid I’ll beat you.” Blake knew how this argument was going to go. It always started with Jayden trying to challenge him, but this time Blake wasn’t going to give in.

“No, we’ve been over this.” Blake rolled his eyes. “I’m not playing.”

Jayden sat up, turning to face Blake and waving the controller in front of his face. “One race? I’ve been playing by myself for a long time. You must be bored.”

Blake shrugged. “I’m insanely fucking bored, but if you want you could try to entertain me some other way.” He raised his eyebrows, a small smirk on his face.

Jayden rolled his eyes and poked Blake’s forehead. “Think with your upstairs head, Carter.”

“You’ve been playing games all weekend.” Blake groaned, catching Jayden’s wrist and pulling him close. “It’s been a long time.”

“It’s been three days.” Jayden pulled away, rolling his eyes again, but the corner of his lips were turning up into a tiny grin.

“Four.” Blake tried to reach for the agent again, but Jayden stood up. He smiled mischievously all of a sudden and sat back down, right into Blake’s lap.

Blake grinned, resting one of his hands on one of Jayden’s hips, rubbing small circles. “Is this you giving in?”

“No.” Jayden shook his head, smirking and leaning forward to put his lips close to Blake’s ear. “I’ll make you a deal.”

Blake held back a shiver from the breath blowing across his neck and said, “Yeah?”

“Beat me at Rainbow Road, and I promise that right after we can go and…” Jayden let his sentence trail off, running his fingertips down Blake’s neck and his chest, trailing them along the cop’s belt.

“Deal.” Blake said instantly. “Go get me a fucking controller.”

Jayden grinned and hopped up, grabbing a Wii remote and sitting back down. He handed it to Blake, who cracked his neck.

“You’re going down.” Blake smirked.

Jayden rolled his eyes and leaned over to grab the Wii remote from him. “You’re holding it backwards.” He handed it back, then set up the game.

It wasn’t an entirely fair game, but it never really was when it was between the two of them. Blake would lean over and press a random button on Jayden’s controller or push him a bit when he was in the lead, then laugh as Jayden’s kart went plummeting towards the earth. Jayden would constantly send red shells and bump into Blake while having green shells surrounding him.

Jayden started not doing so well, and Blake beamed as he pulled into first place. He glanced over at Jayden, who was biting his lip and glaring at the screen.

“Yes!” Blake exclaimed when his kart (Jayden had picked for him, and he was Bowser) crossed the finish line in first place. He jumped up, dropping the Wii remote to the ground and spinning to face Jayden, grinning widely. “Pay up.”

Jayden rolled his eyes but dropped to controller and stood up. He went over to Blake, hooking his fingers into the older man’s belt and pulling him close, then dipped his head and kissed his neck.  
Blake grabbed Jayden’s hips, holding him close and running his hands underneath his shirt.

“Wanna know a secret?” Jayden whispered huskily against his boyfriend’s neck. “I let you win.”

Blake jerked away for a second, staring at the smug smile on Jayden’s face. After a couple seconds of silence, Blake put his hands on either side of Jayden’s face, placing a hard and long kiss onto the agent’s still smiling face.

“You motherfucker, I love you.” Blake laughed as he pulled away. He winded his arm around Jayden’s waist and pulled him down the hall to the bedroom.


	4. Day Four-On a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh jeez, I finished this later than I’d hoped. I was hoping to have it up earlier, but I was really busy. Sorry!

It had been a really long time since Jayden and Blake had gone on a date.

Not that they went on very many dates to begin with. Jayden sometimes wondered if he was allowed to tell people they were ‘dating’ if they actually rarely went on dates together.

They were busy men, working long hours and, even when they did get home, there was always paperwork to be done. Some nights, one of them would be off earlier and the other wouldn’t be. Other nights, they’d just go home and go to bed. Combined with their lazy weekends, neither the cop nor the agent were ever really up for doing things that required energy in their free time.

Jayden could remember how the topic had come up. They had been driving back from the precinct, talking about their day (though there hadn’t been much to tell, since they worked together a lot), when Blake had started talking about a conversation he’d had with Ash.

“He kept going on about this girl he’s taking out Friday.” Blake said as they were driving home one day. “Said they’re going to a new restaurant that recently opened.”

“I’ve heard of it. It’s supposed to be pretty good.” Jayden nodded.

“More like over the top. Ash said his sister went there a couple days ago and it’s very fancy.” Blake rolled his eyes. “He must be head over heels for this girl if he’s willing to take her there on the second date.”

Jayden’s eyebrows rose. “The second date? How long have they been going out?”

“Two weeks? I’m not sure, it hasn’t been too long.”

Jayden scoffed. “We’ve been going out for a lot longer than that, and I don’t think we’ve ever gone out to some fancy restaurant.” He paused for a second. “Now that I think about it, we’ve barely gone out at all.”

“That can’t be right.” Blake said, pursing his lips, but both men were realizing how very little dates they’d actually gone on.

The next day, Blake had surprised Jayden when he came home by saying, “We’re going out tonight.”

Jayden, who had been watching something on the Discovery channel, muted the TV and turned around. He’d gotten home earlier than usual and had been waiting for his boyfriend to come back. “What? Where?”

“It’s already almost seven, let’s go. Never thought your constant need to wear a fucking suit would come in handy…” Blake had given no explanation as he ushered Jayden outside and to the car, mumbling about how he thought they just needed to go out.

“It’s been a real long time, if you haven’t noticed. Can you even remember the last time we went on a date?” Blake demanded as he drove, eyes focused on the road.

Jayden thought for a second, opening his mouth to retaliate but becoming silenced as he realized he couldn’t remember. “Well, no, but this is a pretty random time.”

“I’m trying to be fucking spontaneous. If you could just play along, it would be super helpful, Norman.”

Jayden rolled his eyes, slightly amused at the flustered way Blake looked. Eyes focused hard on the road; jaw set hard; his cheeks red. If he wasn’t trying so hard to find some ulterior motive Blake’s random need to go on a date, Jayden would’ve teased the cop by stating how adorable he looked.

By the time they pulled up to the new restaurant that had opened, Jayden couldn’t hold back a slight laugh. “Seriously?”

Blake’s face reddened, but he just ignored Jayden and got out of the car. “Let’s go, don’t make me drag your ass in there.”

It wasn’t as fancy as Ash had made it out to be, but Jayden was a bit relieved that he had worn one of his nicer suits to work today. The restaurant was dimly lighted, cheesy music playing around, white cloths on the tables, and Jayden thought that it was a bit over the top.

The waitress gave them an odd look, seeing Jayden looking amused yet somewhat overwhelmed, and Blake just looking overwhelmed.

When she left, Jayden leaned over a bit to look at Blake, eyebrows raised. “If you wanted to take me out on a date, we could’ve just gone to the movies or something. We could’ve even stayed home and watched one.”

Blake sighed and reached over to where Jayden’s hand rested on the table, taking it and giving it a squeeze, though still not looking directly at him. “I was talking to Ash about the girl he was taking out, at work today.”

Jayden nodded a bit. “And?”

“Well, I brought up what you had said-about how they’ve barely been going out-and Ash said that he was taking her to such a nice place to show her how much he liked her.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you brought me here to show me you care about me, because of something Ash said?” Jayden demanded, his tone incredulous.

“Uh, yeah?” Blake looked uncomfortable, even more so when Jayden laughed.

“I thought you were a bit too old for influence on how to act from your peers, Carter.” Jayden smiled, giving his hand a squeeze.

Blake rolled his eyes. “How do you respond with sarcasm to me trying to show you that I care about you?”

“Because you don’t have to take me out to expensive restaurants to show me, I already know. Can we go now, before the waitress gets back?”

Blake’s eyebrows rose. “You want to leave? I thought you liked fancy shit like this.”

Jayden shook his head, standing up. “Fancy suits are nice. Fancy hotels are nice. Fancy restaurants just serve up tiny platters of food and an expensive bill.”

Blake smiled a bit as he stood up. “Let’s hurry up then. The waitress will be back any minute.”

They ended up going to a drive-thru Burger King and getting burgers, then going back home to order the new Captain America on paper view. They had more fun just being with each other than any date could’ve tried to make them.

That was probably the reason they didn’t go on many dates, Jayden thought as the ending credits came up from the movie and Blake’s head had fallen onto his shoulder, a slight snore coming from his mouth. They preferred to just spend time alone together than go out.

They were very bad at dates, but, if Jayden counted all the times they’d hung out together as dates, then they’d gone on more than any usual couple should.

He smiled down at the sleeping man pressed against him, brushing his fingers through Blake’s thin hair a bit. Jayden would have to remember that getting Blake to talk about his feelings got the older man flustered. It was really adorable. Maybe he’d spontaneously take them out on a date one day just to watch Blake squirm.


	5. Day Five-Kissing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, I love writing about these two. Why did it take me doing a 30 day challenge to finally write about them again? But I’m glad I’m doing this! I just love this pairing so much.

Jayden and Blake’s first kiss had happened not too long after they had started dating and, unlike most of the new couple things they did, Jayden had been the one to make the move.

They’d been walking to the parking lot towards Jayden’s car, the equivalent of ‘walking him home’ for Blake (Jayden hadn’t been staying at his house at the time). Jayden had leaned against his car, fidgeting a bit, and then looked up at Blake.

“How long have we been going out?” He asked almost absentmindedly.

Blake pursed his lips. “Couple weeks?” He wasn’t sure; he never really counted the days of how long his relationships lasted. He was honestly pretty surprised that him and Jayden had lasted this long, considering the first time they’d met they’d been constantly fighting.

But that had changed considerably. Jayden’s boss had been impressed with how quickly the Origami Killer case had been resolved, and she was convinced that Jayden and Blake made an excellent team. When the Philadelphia precinct requested for an agent to come occasionally work there when necessary, Jayden’s boss had sent him since he was more ‘familiar with the people and the city.’ She’d also requested that he be partnered with Blake, which had felt like the end of the world for both of them. With threats from Perry, they had begrudgingly worked together, actually having civil conversations. Without the insane pressure the Origami case had put on them, they’d been able to get along. Eventually, Blake had asked him out (though very subtly, trying to make it sound as if he wasn’t just in case Jayden questioned him on it, though there had been no doubt from the red faced cop that he was asking Jayden to go on a date with him) and they’d started officially dating.

A loud buzzing noise came from Blake’s pocket, yanking him out of his thoughts. He pulled out his phone, saw a text from Ash that said he was needed inside, and stuck it back in his pocket.

“I gotta go.” He said, reaching forward to take Jayden’s hand and give it a small squeeze, trying to be gentle as possible (they were still working on the hand holding).

Jayden nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He looked almost disappointed, but, as Blake was turning to leave, he grabbed the older man’s wrist and pulled him closer.

Blake was shocked, to say the least, as Jayden softly pressed their lips together. The cop’s eyes had widened until they felt as if they were going to pop out his head, and Jayden had pulled away slowly, his eyelids drooped a bit and his brows furrowed.

Quickly, Jayden turned around and yanked open his car door, saying, “See you tomorrow, Carter.” And all Blake could do was stare blankly after him and then spin on his heel and go back into the precinct.

Later, Ash had demanded to know why Blake seemed to be acting like a ‘flustered school girl’ and Blake had sworn right there to get some vengeance.

The next day, Blake was waiting in the parking lot for Jayden to show up. He’d had to get up earlier, since Jayden tended to get there before him (the kid did not seem to know how to sleep in even an extra five minutes).

When Jayden’s car had pulled up, he’d gotten out with eyebrows raised.

“I didn’t know you got up this early.” Jayden had said as he walked over, a note of teasing in his voice.

“It’s not like it’s five in the morning, Norman.”

Jayden grinned, shrugging. “I get up then sometimes.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “Of course you fucking do.”

“Is there a reason you’re up so early?” Jayden tilted his head to the side a bit, looking at Blake curiously. “I usually get here before you.” He frowned. “Did something new come up in the case?”

Blake shook his head. “Nah, just wanted to get an early start and maybe wrap this up today.”

“Let’s go in then, it’s kind of cold out-mmph!” Jayden’s sentence was cut off by Blake ducking in and kissing him quickly, then pulling away just as quickly.

It had the desired effect; Jayden’s eyes were incredibly wide, the bright red of his cheeks bringing out the steel blue color of his eyes. He opened his mouth, and then closed it, and Blake wondered why he seemed so surprised. He had kissed Blake just the other day. But an incredibly flustered Jayden was better than a nonchalant Jayden.

Blake smirked. “C’mon then.” He turned around and walked to the precinct, hearing Jayden start to follow.

It was a bit disappointing that there weren’t many people at work to see Jayden’s red face and the looks he kept giving Blake when he thought he wasn’t watching.

When they were leaving, Jayden kissed him again, just like before. He'd been able to contain his surprise better, but Ash had still made a joke.

Kissing had started out as a game for them, to embarrass the other but, like hand holding, they’d gotten used to it. Jayden would peck Blake on the lips, and all he’d get was a small smile then they were back to work. Blake would pull Jayden close and kiss him deeply and Jayden wouldn’t get nearly as flustered as he used to, just a small tinge of pink in his cheeks.

It became their way of hello, or goodbye. When Jayden started staying at Blake’s house, it was goodnight and good morning.

Quick pecks on the lips and cheeks, longer ones, then the ones they saved for when they were alone at home. Kissing quickly became something they were comfortable with, and greatly enjoyed. They started holding each other around the waist or neck when they kissed, tangling fingers into hair, grabbing hands and squeezing as their lips pressed together quickly.

“The first time we kissed, did you kiss me because you wanted to, or to embarrass you?” Blake asked one day after pulling away from a kiss.

Jayden frowned. “I wanted to. I’d been wanting to for a while.”

“Next time you want to try something, don’t wait so long.” Blake grinned, touching the agent’s cheek softly.

Jayden rolled his eyes. “Are you trying to imply something perverted?”

“Of course not. Unless you wanted to-” Jayden shut him up by kissing him again. Another bonus to kisses; it stopped Blake from talking, which was sometimes a good thing when he was being a pervert.

“So you don’t want to?” Blake asked when Jayden pulled away.

“Well, I didn’t say that.”


	6. Day Six-Wearing each other's clothes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, I didn’t mean for this to get posted so late, sorry! Today was really busy and kind of stressful, and I almost didn’t write this, but I’m glad I did. This was fun.
> 
> Two beautiful things: Domesticness and height differences. I really have to mention the height difference between Jayden and Blake (Don’t fight me on this, Blake is definitely shorter than Jayden).

Ever since Jayden and Blake had started living together, they’d been getting their clothes mixed up.

Jayden, who was normally incredibly organized, wouldn’t be able to find his clothes. He’d usually find them in an entirely different place he thought he’d left them. Blake, on the other hand, wasn’t very organized at all. His clothes were all over the bedroom and bathroom, and Jayden often had to clean up after him.

Usually, it wasn’t a problem. Jayden enjoyed cleaning sometimes, when he had the time (though it really didn’t take Blake long to get the apartment messy again, with his tendency to drop things and leave them there). A lot of the time while he was picking something up, he’d look up to see Blake watching him with an amused grin.

“What?” He’d demand as he stood up.

“You’re a neat freak.” Blake would say.

And Jayden would scowl, but continue cleaning up. He wasn’t a neat freak; he just liked things being clean. He liked being organized, and knowing where everything was.

Some days, though, Jayden wouldn’t have time to clean or just wouldn’t be in the mood. And when Jayden was being disorganized was when the couple really started losing it.

“Damn it, I told you to set the alarm!” Blake snapped as he buttoned up his shirt.

Jayden came running in from the kitchen, a piece of toast in between his teeth. Swallowing what was in his mouth and holding the toast in his hand, he said, “Actually, you told me not to, because you were so sure that you had set it.”

“Shut up and pass me my pants.”

Usually Jayden noticed things better (he was very perceptive, even without ARI), but as he chucked a pair of pants that were a bit too long at Blake, he barely even looked at them before he was racing into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

“If we’re late, you’re taking the blame.” Blake said as he brushed his short hair a bit. When he noticed Jayden had done the same, he ran his hand through the agent’s hair and messed it up. Jayden frowned at him but, being in a rush, didn’t try brushing again.

When they were both dressed, they rushed out of the house and to Blake’s car. They didn’t notice their clothes until they reached the precinct.

Blake went to get some coffee (unlike his boyfriend, he actually liked the coffee they had. He had to suggest to Jayden to try a different brand some time), while Jayden went to his desk to go and review files.

“What’s with your pants?” Ash asked as he comes up beside Blake, also getting a cup of coffee.

Blake gave him a confused look and said, “Is my fly open or something?”

Ash rolled his eyes and motioned down. “No, they seem sort of long on you. You’re too old to be hitting a growth spurt.”

Blake looked down at his pants, seeing that they were in fact a bit too long. He frowned, his brows furrowing, wondering when he had accidentally bought himself pants that were too long and, now that he was thinking about it, too tight. And frayed jeans? These looked as if someone wore them a lot, and Blake probably would’ve remembered wearing these more often.

He almost groaned when he realized it. He looked down at his whole outfit, realizing everything was slightly too long or tight (for god sakes, Jayden wasn’t that much taller than him, or that much skinnier. The whole thing bugged him).

When he looked up, Ash was looking over his shoulder, a knowing grin on his face. Blake looked over his shoulder to see a slightly surprised Jayden coming his way. At this point, he almost wanted to laugh; how had they both managed to leave the apartment wearing only each other’s clothes?

Jayden did look pretty good in his clothes, Blake thought. The black pants were a bit too short on the agent, but the dark blue shirt definitely was working for Jayden. It really complimented his eyes. Blake grinned a bit; he’d have to get Jayden in his clothes more often. The whole thing put him in a better mood instantly.

“Did you two seriously wear each other’s clothes to work?” Ash asked, chuckling a bit.

“We slept in too late.” Blake shrugged.

“Because Carter didn’t set the alarm.” Jayden said, standing beside Blake.

“It was his fault.” Blake elbowed his boyfriend a bit, who in turn rolled his eyes.

Ash laughed. “I have work to do. Have fun sorting out your clothing mishap.” With that, he turned and went back to his desk.

Blake turned to face Jayden, looking him up and down and grinning a bit.

“My pants aren’t helping your figure.” Jayden said, a teasing note to his voice.

“Oh, shut up. Those pants make you look taller than you are.”

Jayden grinned and stood up on his toes. “You’re just jealous, shortie.”

Blake raised his eyebrows. “Did you just call me ‘shortie?’”

“I’ve been meaning to find some embarrassing pet name to call you.” Jayden said with a shrug. “It is now a tie between Shortie and Blakey-poo.”

“I think that is the grossest thing you have ever said, Norman.” Blake said, faking a gag.

“I’ll take your disgust into consideration. Can I have my jacket back?” He motioned to the one on Blake.

Blake shrugged. “I don’t know, I like it.”

“Well, I don’t like yours. It’s heavy.” Jayden’s voice was almost a whine. Blake grinned and reached forward, grabbing the coat and dragging Jayden closer.

“You’re just weaker. Plus, it makes you unable to get away as easily.” He put his hand under Jayden’s chin and tilted the agent’s head down, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Get a room!” Ash shouted, and Blake rolled his eyes as he pulled away.

Jayden stepped back a bit, shrugging off the coat and holding it out towards Blake. The rest of his physique, more noticeable without the heavy jacket, was quite a nice sight to Blake.

“I’m setting the alarm tonight. And we’re getting up extra early so this doesn’t happen again.” Jayden warned, eyebrows raised, but his eyes shining with an emotion close to amusement.

Blake sighed and gave Jayden his jacket back. “I’m hitting snooze.”


	7. Day Seven-Cosplaying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you all like this, since I’ve been exhausted all day, so the quality isn’t too good, I think. I hope it’s good though, I tried! I’m sorry, my fellow Blayden lovers.
> 
> Does this count as cosplaying, or am I kind of cheating? Oh well! I kind of struggled with this one!

Jayden walked out of the bedroom, his shoulders hunched and biting his lip a bit. "What do you think?"

Blake laughed as he turned around to face Jayden from his seat on the couch. "What is it, Halloween?"

Jayden scowled, putting his hands on the belt strapped around his hips. "Yes, actually. We have a costume party to go to, remember?"

Blake frowned, having not actually remembered. Sure, he'd noticed the children outside, but not enough to actually wonder what was going on (he had been a bit worried; a lot of kids running around when it was getting dark outside wasn't really a safe thing). He had noticed the candy Jayden had been buying, and had been eating a lot of it, and he should've remembered the invitation to the costume party tonight that Ethan Mars had sent them.

He should've remembered for the sole reason that Ethan Mars had invited them. Jayden had mentioned he'd been spending time with Ethan, but Blake had never really thought much of it. Apparently they'd become better friends than Blake had originally thought. 

And he was definitely not jealous in the least bit that his boyfriend was spending more and more time with the ex suspect. Ethan was a straight man, and he had his girlfriend, Madison Paige, anyways, who had also signed the invitation to the party. While Blake wasn't too fond of either of them, he was glad they were still together. Jayden seemed to be happy too, since he spoke of them after he came home from hanging out with them. And it definitely didn't annoy Blake when he did speak of them.

Maybe he just wanted to be paid attention to a little more. It wasn't his fault he got lonely sometimes.

Damn. Blake sounded like a whiny, clingy teenager in love with their first boyfriend or girlfriend. He almost wanted to slap himself.

"Are you going to get dressed?" Jayden asked, eyebrows raised, snapping Blake out of his thoughts.

Blake looked over his boyfriend for a second, dressed as Luke Skywalker. He had a certain distaste for the loose fitting white outfit and low hanging belt on the agent, but it wasn't as bad as some Halloween costumes he'd seen. He wondered what Jayden was wearing underneath.

"Out of all the Star Wars characters you choose to dress as, you choose Luke Skywalker?" Blake asked as he stood up, making his way over.

Jayden frowned. He'd thought his costume was pretty good. He'd even tried to style his hair in the floppy way that Luke had them in the movies. "Would you have preferred R2-D2?"

"No, I just mean that why would you have dressed up in this," Blake tugged on the sleeve. "When you could've dressed up in that sexy slave outfit Leia was in when she was captured by Jabba the Hut?" He put his hands on Jayden's hips, smirking.

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Because we're going to a party with friends."

"So you would've if it were only me here?" Blake's smirk widened, his tone curiously hopeful.

"Maybe next year." Jayden grinned a bit, pressing a quick kiss to Blake's lips then giving him a half hearted shove. "Now go get dressed. I told Ethan we wouldn't be late."

Blake sighed, but went to get dressed into his costume. He couldn't even remember what he had gotten for a costume.

After a while, he came out of the bedroom, grimacing a bit at the feeling of uncomfortable plastic fangs.

"I'm not wearing these." Blake said, his s slurring a bit, spitting out the fake fangs.

Jayden looked up from his phone, sliding it into a pocket of his costume. He smiled, giving Blake a quick once over. "You're really pulling off the old school vampire look."

Blake tugged at the cape, frowning. His outfit consisted of a white button up shirt with fake blood around the collar, black pants with black shoes to match. More for Jayden's amusement than for himself, he had drawn two small black dots on his neck.

"I feel stupid." He grumbled, crossing his arms.

Jayden smiled a bit at him. "But you look good. Everyone's going to love your costume."

"How long exactly are we planning on staying?"

"Depends on how long it takes you to get drunk." Jayden grinned, joking. "Drunk you really isn't the best peoples person."

Blake scowled. "I can hold my liquor better than you. You get sappy when you get drunk." His tone was annoyed, but he had brightened up a bit at the thought of alcohol being there. He wondered how long it would take for him to get Jayden drunk.

"Well, I'm not planning on getting drunk in front of friends, and I'd appreciate it if you did the same." Jayden went over to him, reaching for his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Blake sighed, squeezing back and pulling Jayden close until he could wrap his arm around the younger man's waist. "Yeah, okay."

Jayden smiled, then pressed a quick kiss to Blake's cheek. "Can we go then? If we wait too long, we'll be fashionably late, and Madison won't be too happy."

"Let's go." Blake squeezed around Jayden's waist, holding the agent close and pulling him towards the door.

He'd have to remember the Princess Leia outfit for sometime else, he thought as they drove there. For now, he'd just have to content himself with eventually being able to take the ill-fitting costume off of Jayden later. If the party was terrible, he could at least entertain himself with thoughts of that.


	8. Day Eight-Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry! A day late, but here it is. I won’t be able to post day nine today, so I’m just continuing from here. Super sorry again, but stuff came up!

Normally, Jayden went grocery shopping by himself. It wasn't because no one else wanted to come (actually, that was a pretty big reason; Blake hated shopping), it was because he was normally the one to decide that him and Blake lacked in groceries.

Jayden would wake up one morning and go looking around in the cupboards or the fridge for something-coffee, cereal, milk-and Blake would wander up and mutter something about how they were out of that. Then Jayden would groan and put it on the long list of grocery items, with Blake occasionally adding on to the list, which Jayden would cross out.

"Carter, we don't need Twizzlers."

"You might, but I do."

"They're unnecessary."

"They are incredibly necessary, Norman!"

And Jayden would sigh when he went shopping, telling himself on the way there that he would not get whatever junk food Blake suggested, then end up accidentally going down the aisle and sliding it into the cart.

Jayden was also big on healthier foods, not liking to buy junk food at Blake's request (though he usually would). He tried to get Blake to eat apples or bananas for snacks, but the other man insisted he was getting too old to spend his days eating fruit.

Jayden would poke the other man's stomach and say, "You're losing your figure."

Blake would kiss him and say, "Shut up and don't pretend you don't love it."

Then Jayden would start nagging him about healthier choices, and Blake would shove him away and tell him to go shopping or something.

But, today, Blake had tagged along for the grocery shopping. It had taken Jayden completely by surprise.

"What are you doing?" He'd demanded as Blake shrugged on his jacket after him.

Blake gave him a confused look, as if Jayden were being idiotic. "I'm going shopping with you."

"Why?"

Blake had rolled his eyes, taking the car keys from Jayden and going out the doorway. "You don't have to look as if the world is ending, Norman. I'm just going shopping with my boyfriend."

"But you never come shopping with me." Jayden had followed quickly behind, his eyebrows raised high.

"I just felt like it, get off my back about it."

And now here they were, walking down aisles and arguing about which food to get.

"No, no, not that brand."

"No, that stuff is disgusting."

"Yes, we need that!"

"The aisle is that way, you're going the wrong way!"

Jayden groaned and turned around, the cart squeaking against the floor. Blake stood by the aisle to cereals, hands on his hips and looking annoyed.

"Next time, you're staying home." Jayden said as he walked up the aisle.

"Every time I stayed home, I felt like some housewife." Blake grumbled, grabbing a box of some sugary cereal and chucking it in the cart.

Jayden laughed. "I always felt like a housewife when I went shopping while you stayed home."

"I could start coming shopping more often. It might make both of us feel more manly." Blake said, examining a box of granola bars, which Jayden plucked out of his hands and put into the cart.

"Shopping, the manliest thing to do with your boyfriend." Jayden rolled his eyes, walking away.

Blake followed, and Jayden mused silently to himself that, even thought it were just for shopping, that he was the one in the lead for once. Blake followed almost as if he were lost. Jayden wondered how Blake had ever done his own shopping before. The poor guy must've almost starved before caving and going to buy food.

"I think we have completed our shopping." Jayden announced, turning his cart to go to the checkout area.

"Think again, Norman." Blake grabbed the cart, turning it around. "You're forgetting something."

Jayden rolled his eyes. "I got them last time, but I am not buying any more Twizzlers, Carter."

"No, I meant you forgot to get coffee." Blake grinned. "Unless you'd prefer just drinking the kind over at work."

Jayden gagged. "Ugh, no."

"My picky Norman." Blake laughed, walking towards the coffee aisle and pulling the cart behind him.

Jayden sighed. "I am not picky, the coffee at the precinct is just terrible."

"Everyone else likes it."

"I don't understand how." He shook his head, looking through the rows of different brands of coffee. Eventually, he grabbed one and put it in the cart.

"Do you usually forget stuff when you go shopping?" Blake asked as they made their way to the checkout area.

"No." Jayden said instantly, but bit his lip. He didn't think he did.

"What about that one time you came home and didn't get any milk."

"That was one time-"

"Or when you forgot to buy more toilet paper. Or-"

"Okay, okay, I forget things sometimes." Jayden snapped, rolling his eyes. The lady at the counter grinned at them as she swiped their items.

"I'm gonna come shopping with you from now on." Blake announced. "You need me. You're forgetful."

"I am not that forgetful, Carter."

"Apparently you are. You've been complaining about our lack of coffee for a while now, and you just almost forgot it." Blake rolled his eyes.

"Next time you are not coming shopping with me." Jayden said, glaring a bit. "You're nagging me."

The counter lady giggled a bit.

"You could use some nagging." Blake grinned. He turned to the lady. "Do you go shopping by yourself?"

Looking surprised she was being spoken to, she brushed her hair back and shook her head. "My husband comes with me."

Blake turned back to Jayden. "See? Her husband goes with her."

Jayden crossed his arms. "I don't see your point."

"I find that shopping alone is sort of lonely." The girl said, smiling apologetically at Jayden.

"And I don't want you lonely." Blake said, taking his wallet out to pay for the groceries. "So I'm going to come from now on."

Jayden groaned, but a sort of happiness bubbled up inside him. He did enjoy this trip to the store with Blake more than his usual ones. But then, he enjoyed doing a lot of things with Blake that he had previously done alone. The man was a loud and occasionally annoying presence in his life, but Jayden couldn't imagine a quiet life without the old cop.

He wasn't going to admit any of this to Blake, though. So instead he stood quietly by, trying his best to look annoyed as Blake paid for the groceries. It was only after they left the store that he remembered that he was the one who was supposed to be paying, and the ride home was filled with their arguing about who should pay. Jayden didn't mind the arguing though; it was how they showed affection a lot of the time.

It was another thing he'd miss without Blake; their conversations. His entire life would be so quiet and dull without Blake. He made even going grocery shopping more entertaining, even if it was just regular conversations that all couples had. Jayden wondered how he hadn't drowned in the silence of his life before he'd been with the old cop that he loved so much now.


	9. Day Nine-Hanging Out With Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *posts two hundred thousand years later*  
> I am so sorry I promised this too long ago, but I got caught up with schoolwork! I hope you all like this, and again, SO SORRY!

"I don't understand why I have to come." Blake snapped for the hundredth time today. "They're your friends, not mine."

Jayden sighed, trying to hide his amusement at the look of complete childish pouting on Blake's face. He was slumped in the passenger seat of the car, glaring out at the mist outside of the window. Jayden had made sure to lock the car doors, just in case Blake attempted to throw himself out (he honestly didn't put it past the lieutenant to try and make a daring escape.).

"Ethan invited us both over." Jayden reminded the pissed off cop. "You've been refusing to speak to him for months now, this should be good for you two."

"Yeah, fucking doubt it." Blake grumbled.

Jayden rolled his eyes. Ethan and Madison had invited Jayden over for dinner, which he had accepted, but then had shocked him with saying that his partner should come too. It wasn't as if Blake hadn't been to their house before, but that had been for more social events with many more people. Now, it would be just Ethan, Madison, Blake, Jayden, and Shawn, and Blake had been stressing out about it all day.

He had tried making plenty of excuses not to come.

"I've got to work overtime tonight. Need to catch up on some hours." or "There's a game on I want to watch tonight." It was all to no avail; Jayden refused to allow him to squirm out of this. And now he was acting like a complete child about it. Jayden hoped very much that he’d grow up by the time they got to Ethan and Madison’s house.

When they pulled up to the house, Jayden parked the car and sighed, turning towards Blake. Blake glanced at him, glaring and raising his eyebrows questioningly.

“Can you at least pretend to be polite?” Jayden asked. “I don’t need you to be the most cheerful person, but just try to be…” He hesitated, struggling to find the right adjectives.

“Not the me that Ethan knows?” Blake tried.

Jayden shook his head and reached out to take Blake’s hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “No. Well, yes, as in don’t beat him.” Blake’s face flushed at the reminder. “But be yourself, just a bit more polite than usual. For me.”

“You just had to add that last part on to guilt me, didn’t you?” Blake grumbled.

“Maybe. Is it working?”

“Fuck you.” Blake rolled his eyes, and Jayden grinned a bit as he pulled his hand back and got out of the car. It was misty outside, not raining, which was a relief. A semi-dry day was always appreciated.

They walked up to Ethan’s house, which was pretty nice compared to the place Jayden was currently staying-not that Blake’s apartment wasn’t nice, it was just that Ethan’s house was very stylish. Him and Madison had moved around quite a bit, and they were currently living in a house Ethan himself had designed. From what Jayden had been told, Shaun absolutely loved it.

“Be nice.” Jayden reminded Blake as he rang the doorbell. Blake rolled his eyes.

“Come in!” Madison’s voice came from inside, and, when they walked in, the smell of food filled the air. Some upbeat song was playing softly.

Blake was tense beside Jayden, obviously not wanting to be here. Jayden pressed his hand to the older man’s back, giving him a quick rub before taking off his jacket and going further into the house.

Madison was swaying lightly in the kitchen, a spatula in her hand and a pan sizzling on the stove. She had changed since they’d first met; she seemed lighter, happier. Her hair was getting longer, and it was pinned back from her face with multiple clips. 

She smiled widely when she saw Jayden and waved the spatula at him.

“Hi Norm!” She exclaimed, doing a slight spin to the beat of the music.

Her eyes widened slightly, and Jayden felt the presence of Blake behind him. He didn’t blame Madison for her obvious surprise; he had assumed that none of the Mars’ thought Blake would actually come. To be honest, Jayden had doubted himself on if he could convince Blake to come or not.

“Hello to you, too, Carter!” Madison said, cheerful and polite as ever.

“Hi.” Blake said quietly in return. Jayden glanced at him, and he had a small, sheepish smile on his face. Jayden almost wanted to laugh; seeing Blake so unsure and shy would’ve been funny if Jayden didn’t feel so bad. He wanted to hug Blake, but knew that that would only make him more uncomfortable.

“It’s been quite a while.” Madison said with a kind smile. “How have you been, lieutenant?”

“Good.” Blake said gruffly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “And you?”

“Wonderful!” Madison smiled widely. “Since we’ve moved into this house, things have been amazing. The neighbors are so nice-Shaun’s made a very cute girl friend-and I started gardening out back.” She motioned to a patio door behind her. “Ethan and Shaun are out there, if you want to go say hi. I’m just finishing up dinner, so you could go and tell them for me.”

Jayden nodded, giving her a smile and turning to Blake. “Come on.” He put his hand softly on the older man’s back, patting him a bit, and then guiding him to the patio door. Blake went willingly, not even complaining; he usually didn’t like it when Jayden coddled him or guided him around.

Ethan and Shaun were kicking a soccer ball back and forth in the yard when Shaun pulled his leg back, kicking hard and launching the ball straight into Ethan’s stomach.

Ethan doubled over a bit, laughing breathlessly, and then his eyes landed on Jayden and Blake, standing on the porch observing. He smiled at them, wincing a bit as he stood up and picked up the soccer ball.

“Hey, Norman, glad to see that you came.” He rested the ball on his hip. “And hello, Carter.” His smile stayed on, even as he looked at Blake, as polite and kind as ever.

Jayden said his hello, and Blake nodded at him. “Hi,” His voice was stiff, and Jayden frowned a bit at him. He kept his hand on Blake’s back, rubbing his thumb back and forth a little bit. Jayden could practically feel the uncomfortableness coming off of him in waves.

“Hi, Norman!” Shaun yelled, smiling wide with dimples and waving. He was getting very tall, shooting up like a weed. By the time he was fifteen, he’d probably be as tall as his dad or Jayden. Definitely taller than Blake at that point. He looked so much different than the small ten year old who’d been kidnapped two years ago.

“Hey, Shaun.” Jayden said with a smile. “How are you?”

“Good.” Shaun said. “Dad’s teaching me how to play soccer.”

“More like I’m trying to teach him, and he keeps kicking the ball too hard at me.” Ethan chuckled. “He’s got a strong leg.”

“I’m going to try out for the team at school.” Shaun grinned, beaming proudly. He looked beside Jayden, and he smiled wide again. “Oh, hi, Mister Blake! Dad said he wasn’t sure if you’d come, but I hoped you would.”

Blake took a second to respond, clearing his throat. “Of course I came. It’s nice to see you, Shaun.”

“It’s nice to see you, too, Mister Blake!” Shaun smiled. “It’s sure been a while.”

“Are you guys coming?” Madison yelled from inside the house. “You were supposed to tell them to come in, and then exchange pleasantries!”

***  
Blake supposed he shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was at how social Jayden could be around his friends.

All throughout dinner, Jayden barely ate (but somehow still managed to finish his food first. He was unbelievable.). He spoke enthusiastically, laughing and motioning along to whatever he said. Madison and Ethan laughed along with him, as if they’d known him for years-which they sort of had, Blake reminded himself.

It was odd. For Blake himself to feel out of place, but to have Jayden beaming. He was clearly comfortable.

After dinner, Shaun had dragged Blake to the living room to show him the new game he’d gotten (Super Smash Bros, Shaun had called it.) while Jayden and Madison had done dishes.

Shaun had barely gotten into his first round of super smashing when Ethan had come and stood beside the couch, arms crossed.

“Carter?” He said. “Could I speak to you for a moment?”

Blake froze. He knew this conversation was coming sooner or later. Swallowing hard, he nodded and stood up. “Sure.”

Ethan gave him a small smile and motioned for him to follow. They walked past the kitchen, and Jayden caught Blake’s eye, raising an eyebrow. Blake shrugged, ducked his head, and continued on behind Ethan.

Ethan stopped them in the hallway and turned, sighing. “I, uh, I noticed how uncomfortable you seem around me and my family.”

Blake frowned at him. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting. “I-”

“I realize we don’t exactly have the best history.” Ethan said with a small laugh.

Blake shrugged. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“Exactly. And I was hoping when I invited you that maybe we’d be able to start clean.” Ethan continued. “Put all of it behind us. My son is safe-thank God-and Shelby was caught. You helped with that.”

Not really, Blake thought. “Norm did more.”

“You still tried. You and the police had been trying for years, especially when Shaun was taken. And I’m very thankful for that, Carter.” Ethan smiled and held out his hand. “Let’s start clean, okay?”

Blake took a deep breath and smiled back, the pressure in his chest lessening. “Okay.” He reached forward and clasped Ethan’s hand.

***  
“So.” Jayden said as they drove home later than night. “What did Ethan need? I don’t need to be worried, do I? Sneaking off with him to a dark hallway while your boyfriend and his girlfriend was distracted…”

Blake scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Shut up. No.”

“Then what?”

“It was nothing.” Blake said with a shake of his head. “Just putting some stuff behind us.”

Jayden smiled, streetlights highlighting his face as he drove. “That sounds good.” He said, placing his hand on Blake’s knee.

Blake placed his hand over Jayden’s. “Yeah.” He nodded. “It was. I’m glad we went over for dinner tonight.”

“We.” Jayden scoffed. “As if you would’ve went if I hadn’t persuaded you.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “Oh, just shut up and drive, kid.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to also follow this on my tumblr, it is justgonnaawkwardlywalkaway  
> I hope you liked this, because Blayden is such a huge OTP for me, I love them so much, they're so cute asdfghjkl


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